- Remedies for pneumonia
- Care during the treatment of bacterial pneumonia
- Signs of improvement
- Signs of worsening
- Complications
The treatment of bacterial pneumonia is usually done at the hospital with the use of antibiotics prescribed by the pulmonologist, such as azithromycin, ceftriaxone or levofloxacin, for example, for about 3 to 7 days, although it can be prolonged up to 15 or 21 days, according to the individual's health status.
When the disease is diagnosed early and the doctor discovers that the cause is a bacterium and that it has been acquired outside the hospital, treatment can be done in the hospital for 3 days and with signs of improvement, the doctor can let the person finish treatment at home.
Recognize the symptoms and microorganisms involved here.
In cases of severe bacterial pneumonia, which occurs mainly in individuals with HIV, the elderly and children, it may be necessary for the person to be admitted to the hospital to receive antibiotics through the vein. In addition, in these cases, respiratory physiotherapy may be necessary to help remove secretions and improve the patient's breathing. Some may have to keep breathing with the help of devices.
The bacteria can reach the lung causing bacterial pneumonia in cases where the person is already admitted to the hospital and there has been contamination at the sites of access to the veins or aspiration of the stomach contents into the lungs, for example. However, this disease can also start outside the hospital.
There are greater risks for people who are very weak and with a compromised immune system to develop this type of pneumonia and so in case of suspicion, the doctor may order lung x-rays and antibiograms to identify the disease and which bacteria is causing it.
Remedies for pneumonia
The doctor will be able to decide the medications indicated after knowing which bacterium is causing pneumonia. You can choose only one type of antibiotic or a combination of them.
The antibiotics that may be indicated are beta-lactams, cephalosporins, quinolones and carbapenems, such as Penicillin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone, vancomycin and nafcillin.
Care during the treatment of bacterial pneumonia
If the doctor recommends that treatment be done at home, you need to take some precautions such as:
- Avoid going to work or, in the case of children, to school; Maintaining rest at home, avoiding efforts; Drinking about 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day; Wear clothes suitable for the season;
Avoid sudden changes in temperature.
Bacterial pneumonia is not transmitted from person to person, so the patient does not need to be isolated from other people, but it is important to avoid contact with others to facilitate their own recovery.
See how eating can help recovery in this video:
Signs of improvement
Signs of improvement in bacterial pneumonia include a reduction in fever, cough and phlegm, as well as a reduction in shortness of breath and difficulty in breathing after taking the drugs prescribed by the doctor.
There are usually signs of improvement in 3 days, but the doctor may decide to keep the person in the hospital for up to 3 weeks to make sure that he or she is okay to return home or may indicate that he or she finishes treatment at home, depending on their general Cheers.
Signs of worsening
The signs of worsening of bacterial pneumonia appear when treatment is not started as soon as the patient has symptoms of the disease and include an increase or persistence of fever, coughing with phlegm, and there may be traces of blood and increased shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
The worsening may also be related to infections in other parts of the body or the poor choice of antibiotics used, their combination or dosage.
Complications
In some cases, bacterial pneumonia can worsen if there is death of the lung tissue or accumulation of pus in the lungs, it is necessary to adopt other antibiotics to puncture or put a drain to eliminate the secretions. However, the most feared of the complications is the bacterium's resistance to the antibiotics used. Understand why this can happen in: Inappropriate use of antibiotics gives rise to Superbacteria.
